Three-ribbon recorder



F. B. EELLS.

THREE RIBBON RECORDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26.1919.

1,388,177, Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

4 SHEETSSHEET I.

H Ila! m INVENTOR a y Wm M' 4 ATTORNEYJ.

F. B. EELLS.

THREE RIBBON RECORDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26,1919.

' ,177, Patented ,.23,1921.

1 g I F ATTORNEY F. B EELLS.

THREE RIBBON RECORDER.

v APPLICATION men JULY 26.1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET a.

INVENTOR Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

F. B. EELLS.

THREE RIBBON RECORDER;

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26. I919.

1,388,177. 4 I PioentedAug. 23,1921.

551 alien W43 I I UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

FRANKB. 'nEL s, or CHICAGO, ILLINQIsQAsSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL TIMERECORDING COMPANY or NEW YORK, A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

' TREE-RIBBON RECORDER.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. 'EELLS, a citizen of the United States,residina at Chicago,in the county of Cook and gtate of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Three-Ribbon Recorders,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

In a great numberof industrial establish ments at the present timeit iscustomary for each employee to keep a card uponwhich he records hisinand out time for given periods,

clerical force whichcomputes therefrom his working time for-which he isentitled to pay. In large establishments, where cards are turned in bythe thousands, a vast amount of clerical work is required to read eachcard and compute thetotal time therefrom, and numerous plans have beenproposed and some practically adopted to reduce this work and render thecomputation of actual time easier, deducting late and adding overtime.

For this purpose I propose that each em 'ployees card shall be printedin one color to show proper or normal time, in another color to showlate or abnormal time, and in a third colorto show overtime, so that noexamination of any card printed in the color which indicates'normal orregular in and out times need be made in computing total time, but onlythose th'at bear imprints in one orthe other colors. Inhandling a massof cards, therefore, only 7 those which show unusual colors need belaid" aside for closer examinationwhile allothers may be passedasshowing full normal time. I

To carry out thisplan I have devised a recording machine capable ofprinting in a I forrecords made at such times.

The machine which Ihave designed lowercolor or red, all times from 7.02to 12,

.f rom blue again from 12 to 1.02, from "red I Specification of LettersPatent. Patented Aug. 23, 1921, Application filedJuly 26, 1919. SerialNo. 313,579.

blue.

A card printed wholly in blue will therefore show that its owners in andout times throughout theweek were approximately on the regular workinghours. A red impres- .sion shows at a glance that he was late, or agreen impression that he worked overtime. V [This machine is shownin theaccompanyat the end of which he turns in his card to a V mechanism.

, Fig.5 is a detail of a cam. used in the machine.

Fig. 6 is a cross-section of the same.

7 Fig. 7 is a detail of a; ratchet for operating the cam, and j Fig. 8is an elevation of a modified form of mechanism for shifting the ribbon.

Much of they machine illustrated in these drawings is well known intheart and in extensive use, so that a detailed description of it is notnecessary in this The machine comprises a card chute 1, in which aworkman inserts his card for registering and the usual or any means areemployed trated. y e e The main spindle of the time mechanism isindicatedby 4, and a horizontal shaft 5,

f5, of theseparts beingof t eusual construction. Y Themulticolored"inking ribbon 7 is carried by two spools 8, and the usualor any proper means are employed for reversing the movement of thespools when the ribbon has all been fed in one or the other direction.The spools surround and turn with but are free to move longitudinally inspindles 9, and, asshown in Fig.3, are carried by a hammer 3, andtheproper mechanism for 7 indicating time'is but not fully illusgearingtherewith, drives the rogram dial ,A

frame 10 pivoted on the shaft 11, which may be shifted and to therebybring either the upper or the lower part of the ribbon between the typewheels and the printing hammer. The means for effecting this shiftingare as follows:

To the program disk or dial 6 are attached a certain number of stops 12,the position of which may -e changed at will. A lever 13, pivoted to theend of a fixed arm it has a rounded projection 15 which normally lies inthe path of the stops 12 and whenever this projection is encountered bya stop the lever 13 is raised. This movement of lever 13 is imparted bya link 16 to a pawl 17, operating on a ratchet 18 with which isassociated a stop pawl 19. The ratchet has an arbitrary number of teeth,twelve being aconvenient number and that shown.

On the shaft of and rotated step by step by the pawl 18 is a cam 20which may have any conformation which the special necessities of thecase requires as will be understood from what follows: On the peripheryof this cam disk 20 bears a roller 22 carried by one arm of a bell cranklever 21, pivoted at 23 to the frame, and to the other arm of said leveris pivoted a bar 24:, suitably guided and capable of a sidewise as wellas a vertical movement.

To the printing lever or any rigid part oscillated thereby is pivoted ahorizontally reciprocating link 25, having a slot 26 in its end throughwhich passes a pin 27 on the bar 24 so that whenever the handle isoperated a movement to the left is impart-ed to the said bar 24.

The upper end of bar 24 is bifurcated and has two straight edge jaws 28inclining toward a central groove 29, and this bifurcated end is adaptedto engage a pin 30 in one of the side bars 32 of the frame 10 ivoted onthe shaft 11, and having a bi urcated end that engages with pins 31 setin the spool frame.

Let it be assumed that at any time after 6 a. m. the position of theratchet 1S and cam disk 20 is such that the roller 22 carried by lever21 is running on the normal periphery of the cam disk. Under suchconditions the vertical position of the arm 2% is normal, and if it beoperated by the printing lever or handle it will swing to the left untilthe pin 30 enters its central groove 2.), but will neither raise nordepress the ribbon spool. All impressions thus taken, therefore, will bein the normal color, for exam ale, blue.

1 stop 12 however is so set on the program dial that it raises the lever13 at 7.02, and this moves the ratchet 18 and turns cam 20 so that theroller 22 will now rest upon one of the high parts of the cam, and inconsequence the arm 21 will be raised. If an impression be taken whilethis condition exists, the lower jaw of the bifurcated end of lever 21will encounter the pin 30 and the latter sliding up the incline willraise the spool frame to bring the red or lower color band of the inkingribbon opposite the type and the printing hammer. This means that anytime registered after 7.02 will be printed in red until the cam 20 isagain moved, and for this purpose another stop may be set at the desiredpoint, say 12 oclock to raise the lever 13 and move the cam 20 so as tobring the roller back to the normal periphery of the cam. If this isdone all registrations between 12 and the moment for which another stopis set, usually 1.02 p. m., will be again printed in blue, but if at1.02 the cam be again moved it will cause the printing to be done in reduntil the normal end of the working day, when the cam is again moved toprint blue.

Another stop may be set to move the ratchet and cam another step shortlyafter the closing time whereby the roller may run for any predeterminedtime on a depression in the cam, which will operate to depress the arm24 and thereby cause the upper jaw of said arm to lower the spool whenan impression is taken so that the printing is done by the upper orgreen color band on the ribbon. This will indicate overtime.

There are few mechanical details of the device that require furtherelaboration in view of the knowledge now possessed by all those skilledin the art, but certain of the more important ones may be pointed out.

To relieve the thrust on the arm 21 during the printing operation, Iemploy a fixed plate with three notches or indentations into one oranother of which a pin 36 on the arm 21 enters when said arm is thrownforward by the printing handle, according to whether said arm is in itsnormal, its ele vated or its depressed position.

Another device which insures the proper normal position of the spoolframe is composed of the lever 36, pivoted to the shaft 11, connected bya spiral spring 37, and normally held by said spring against fixed stops38 whenever the spool frame is released from engagement with the arm 24.These levers center the side bar 32 and bring the central color band onthe ribbon into position to print.

V hen a ratchet 18 with a certain small number of teeth is used, itshould be caused to make a complete revolution each day, for whichpurpose as many stops 12 may be set to lift the bar 13 during the nightor between working hours, as may be necessary.

The specific means described for' raising and lowering the arm 24 arenot of the essence of my invention and any other properinstrrmientalities may be employed. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, theprogram disk may send at certain times current impulses to an electro-magnet' 39, the armature of which carriesa pawl 40 that operates aratchet wheel 41. This ratchet operates a I i cam 42 upon which bears aroller in the arm of a bell crank lever 43, and when the roller adapted"to bear when the first described roller ,is notona high point of cam'42, and

when arm 45 rides 'ahigh'er 44 the arm 24 is depressed. I

Such modification in the proportions and form of the elements herein.shown and described as may be desired to meet particular point on camrequirements will be readily understood the parts above set forth.

It is not, broadly new in this art to set an inking ribbon by a programor timing device so that it will print in different colors at differenttimes, but no such mechanism has heretofore been proposed which wascapable from the nature, purpose and functions of of normally printingin one color and of changing at will to other colors as provided for inmy machine.

What I claim is: I

1. In a workmans time recorder, the combination with a multicoloredinking ribbon and a movable carrier therefor, of a lever having amovable pivotal support and which is adapted by its engagement with theribbon carrier to raise or lower the same according to the elevation ofits pivotal support, a time controlled cam mechanism including a highcam surface, a low cam surface, and an intermediate cam surface, forvarying the elevation of said pivotal support and a printing meanswhich,when operated, brings the said lever into engagement with the carrier.

2. In a workmans time recorder, the combination with a multicoloredinking ribbon and a movable carrier therefor, of a lever for raising andlowering said carrier from its normal position, a lever engaging thecarrier lever for adjusting its pivotal support whereby it will raise orlower the carrier lever when engaging therewith a high cam surface, alow cam surface, and an intermediate cam surface, in operative relationto said adjustable lever, and a printing han dle or lever connected withthe said adjustable lever and adapted to throw it into engagement' withthe carrier lever in the operation of printing,

v 3. In a Workmans time recorder, the combination with a multicoloredinking ribbon and a movable carrier therefor, automatic means formaintaining the carrier in normal position, a lever for raising andlowering said carrier when engaging therewith, a time controlledmechanism inc uding a high cam surface, a low cam surface and anintermedla-te cam surface for ad ust1ng said lever so that it may raiseor lower the carrier,

and a' printing lever or handle connected with the adjustable lever andadapted to bringthe same into engagement with the, carrier intheoperation of printin 4. 'In a workmans time recor ing machine, thecombination with a multi-colored' inking ribbon and a carrier therefor,of printing mechanism cooperating with said ribbon, and means forselecting one of at least three-colored portions of said ribbon when theprinting mechanism, is operated.

5. In a workmans time recording machine, the combination with aI'nulti-colored inkingribbon and a, carrier therefor, of

printing mechanism cooperating with said ribbon, and time controlledmeans for selecting one of at least three colored portions of saidribbon when the printing mechanism is operated.

'6. In'a workmans-time recorder, in combination with a multicoloredinking ribbon, of a printing mechanism cooperating with said ribbon forprinting time imprints upon a record-surface, and time controlled meanshaving provisions for effecting the printing of normal in-and-out timeimpressions in one color upon said record surface, said means havingprovision for printing abnormal inand-out time impressions in adifferent color upon said surface and having provision for printingovertime impressions in still a different color whereby a rapidsegregation of normal, late and overtime records may be secured.

' 7. In a workmans time recorder, in combination, a multicolored inkingribbon, a printing mechanism cooperating therewith for printing timeimpressions therefrom upon a record surface, time controlled means forcontrolling, the relation of said printing means and ribbon, said meanshaving provision for so controlling the relation of the printingmechanism and ribbon as to present one color at certain time periods,another color at other time periods and a still different color at otherperiods of time. p

8. In a workmans time recording machine, in combination, a multicoloredinking ribbon, a printing mechanism cooperating with said ribbon forprinting time impressions therefrom upon a record surface, timecontrolled means for controlling the relation of said printing means andribbon, said means being biased for normal operation to print throughone section of the ribbon for normal in and out time operations, saidmeans having provision for relatively shifting the printing mechanismand ribbon to produce impresslons of a different color for abnormal inand out time impressions and having provision for differently relativelyshifting the printing mechanism and ribbon to produce impressions of athird and different color for in and out overtime time impressions.

9. In a workmans time recorder, in combination with a multicoloredinking ribbon and a movable carrier therefor, a printing handle orlever, means for normally retaining the ribbon carrier to print onecolor upon the operation of the printing handle, of time controlledmechanism having provision for controlling the shifting of the carrierin either of two directions from its normal position upon the operationof the printing handle whereby either of the other two colors will beprinted, depending upon the time of printing the impression.

10. In a workmans time recorder, in combination, a multicolored inkingribbon adapted to impart at least three different colors to thecooperating record surface, a carrier therefor, means for takingimpressions from said ribbon, and time controlled means biased fornormal operation to cause the impressions to be taken in a given color,and means associated therewith for controlling shifting to one of theother of the plurality of colors when impressions are taken at certaintime periods.

11. In a workmans time recorder, in combination with a multicoloredinking ribbon of a printing mechanism cooperating with said ribbon forprinting time imprints upon a record surface, and time controlled meanshaving provisions for effecting the printing of impressions made atcertain times in a predetermined color upon said surface, said meanshaving provisions for effecting the printing of impressions made atcertain other times in a different color upon said surface, said meansalso having provisions for effecting the printing of impressions made atcertain other times in a still different color.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANK B. EELLS.

